Hidden Deck Fastener

ABSTRACT

A hidden fastener and associated method for attaching decking members with side grooves to a support member includes a cross member and an elongate anchoring member. The cross member has a body with a front and rear end and defines a hole. The front end has at least one prong and the rear end includes a bent wing. At least one leg extends downward from the body intermediate the front and rear ends. Each of the front and rear ends are configured to engage with the groove of adjacent decking members. The front end is inserted into the groove of a leading decking member and the anchoring member is driven through the hole into the support member. A trailing decking member is placed with the rear end in the groove adjacent the leading decking member.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/031,326 filed Sep. 19, 2013, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 13/169,175 filed Jun. 27, 2011, which claimspriority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/358,676 filed Jun. 25,2010, and claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No.61/711,243, filed Oct. 9, 2012, and U.S. Provisional Application No.61/779,071, filed Mar. 13, 2013, the entire disclosures of which arehereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

The disclosure relates to carpentry and, more particularly, to articlesand methods for concealed attachment of grooved surface members tostructural members.

Conventionally, deck planks or other sheathing members have beenattached to joists or similar support members by a plurality of fixingor anchoring members, such as nails or screws, driven downward throughthe top of a plank, such as a wood or composite board, and into the topsurface of a supporting beam, such as a joist or ledger board. Althoughthe concept is simple, professional quality installation using thisapproach requires a high degree of precision, significant timeexpenditure, and sometimes leads to a flawed result. In particular,planks must be carefully aligned to achieve desirable aesthetic as wellas functional results, for example, secure attachment and uniformspacing or parallelism with gaps of proper size for surface drainage andfor appearance. Also, the insertion of the nails or screws must beperformed carefully to ensure proper penetration of the joist, whichwill be concealed from view by the overlying wood board at the time ofinsertion, in order to achieve optimal attachment. This process is timeconsuming and requires some skill.

Even if the installation is performed properly, the securing member'spenetration of the upper surface of the plank leaves the plank with apock-marked appearance and prone to rot and weather damage, whichseverely decreases the longevity of the deck. In addition, the nail orscrews may work loose and protrude from the upper surface of the planks,which poses a risk of injury to users of the deck. Penetration of thetop of the plank decreases the integrity of the plank and thus the deckas a whole, and increases the risk of injury.

These and other problems have spurred on numerous advancements in thefield. For instance, an improved deck plank fastening system includesfasteners that attach to a side surface of the plank and a top surfaceof the joist using nails or screws. Such designs facilitate uniformspacing or parallelism of planks by providing tabs or verticallyoriented flanges that engage adjacent planks. The tabs facilitateinstallation by locating the points of penetration at more readilyvisible and accessible positions. The fasteners improve the longevity ofthe resulting deck by repositioning the point of penetration to the sideof the plank, which is less prone to weathering. In addition, the tabsreduce the risk of injury to the user of the deck by hiding the nails orscrews below the surface. Also, the hidden fasteners improve theaesthetic appeal of the deck.

Many other improvements and permutations have been conceived in thisfield, including the provision of deck planks with side grooves forreceiving the teeth or tabs of hidden fasteners. Such improvements havespecific advantages in specific circumstances, but have not foreclosedinnovation in the field. For example, different sizes and types ofgrooved planks require distinct sizes and configurations of hiddenfasteners. The broad variety of possible fasteners to be purchased canmake installation of grooved planks both confusing and costly.

SUMMARY

Disclosed herein is a fastener for attaching decking members with sidegrooves to a support member. The fastener includes a cross member and anelongate anchoring member. The cross member has a body with a top and abottom and opposite lateral edges extending between a front end and arear end. The front end has at least one downwardly projecting prong andthe second end is bent obliquely upward. The body defines an attachmenthole extending from the top to the bottom. A pair of legs is each bentdownward from opposite lateral edges of the body intermediate the frontend and rear end. Each end of the cross member is configured to engagewith the groove of an adjacent decking member. A portion of theanchoring member shank is configured to be driven through the crossmember hole into the support member with the front end positioned withinthe groove of a leading decking member, forming a fastener and rigidlyattaching a leading decking member to the support member by engagementbetween the cross member front end and the leading decking membergroove. The legs are positioned between adjacent decking members.

In another embodiment, a fastener for attaching decking members withside grooves separating a top nub and a bottom nub to a support memberhas a cross member and an elongate anchoring member. The cross memberhas a body with a top and a bottom and opposite lateral edges extendingbetween front and rear ends. The front end has at least one downwardlyprojecting prong and the second end is bent upward. The body defines anattachment hole extending from the top to the bottom. At least one legprojects from the body and has a terminal edge that is below the bottomof the body. The at least one leg defines a front abutment surface onthe side of the leg that faces the direction of the body front end. Eachend of the cross member is configured to engage the groove of anadjacent decking member and a portion of the anchoring member shank isconfigured to be driven through the cross member hole into the supportmember with the front end to rigidly attach a leading decking member tothe support member by engagement between the cross member front end withthe leading decking member groove with the front abutment surface of theat least one leg against the lower nub.

In yet another embodiment is disclosed a method of constructing adecking structure by attaching laterally adjacent planks with sidegrooves separating an upper nub from a lower nub to a support memberwith hidden fasteners. A cross member having a top and a bottomextending from a front to a rear end is provided. The rear end includesan oblique upward bend and the cross member defines an attachmentopening intermediate the front end and rear end extending from the topto the bottom. At least one leg extends in the direction of the bottom.A leading decking plank is positioned substantially flat against thesupport member and the front end of the cross member is positionedwithin the groove of the leading decking plank. An elongate anchoringmember is driven through the opening in the cross member into thesupport member with the at least one leg braced against the leadingdecking plank. The anchoring member and cross member collectively form ahidden fastener. A trailing decking plank is placed substantially flatagainst the support member adjacent the leading decking plank byinserting the trailing decking plank lower nub between the cross memberand support member with the second end of the cross member within thegroove of the trailing plank.

Other features and advantages of the disclosed fastener and method willbecome apparent in light of the detailed description as illustrated inthe accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows in side view a hidden fastener attaching a sheathing memberto a support member, according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 shows in perspective view a first embodiment of a cross memberfor use in forming a hidden fastener, according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 shows in perspective a sectional view of the first embodiment ofa hidden fastener attaching a sheathing member to a support member.

FIG. 4 shows in side view a subsequent sheathing member installed overthe hidden fastener shown in FIGS. 1-3.

FIG. 5 shows in perspective view a second embodiment of a cross memberfor use in forming a hidden fastener, according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 6 shows in perspective view the second embodiment of a cross membershown in FIG. 5, positioned for attaching a sheathing member to asupport member.

FIG. 7 shows in side view a subsequent hidden fastener being installedand formed to attach the subsequent sheathing member to the supportmember shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 8 shows in perspective view a custom barrel and magazines for usewith a conventional power driving tool for installing and forming theinventive hidden fastener.

FIG. 9 shows in side schematic view an exemplary power driving tool forinstalling and forming the hidden fasteners shown in FIGS. 1-3.

FIG. 10 shows in perspective view an exploded assembly of a conventionalpower driving tool.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a sheathing member 2, such as for example a deckplank, is attached to a support member 4, such as for example a deckjoist, by way of a hidden fastener 6. The hidden fastener includes across member 8, which has a first end 13 a engaged into a groove 12formed on the side of the deck plank 2. The hidden fastener alsoincludes an anchoring member or fixing member 10, such as for example anail or a ballistic screw, which is rigidly attached to the cross member8 and holds the cross member 8 substantially parallel to the joist wheninstalled. Preferably, the anchoring member 10 is attached to the crossmember by a press fit formed when the anchoring member 10 is driventhrough the cross member 8. Accordingly, the second end 13 b of thecross member 8 is supported at a fixed distance from the joist orsupport member, substantially of equal height with the first end of thecross member.

Referring to FIG. 2, the cross member 8 includes a first end 13 a formedwith downward-curving corners or claws 14 for gripping a lower side ofthe groove 12 formed in a previously-installed plank or sheathing member2. The cross member also includes a second end 13 b formed with anupward-curving wing 16 that provides for easier assembly of a subsequentplank or sheathing member 2 onto the already-installed cross member.Preferably, the wing 16 forms an angle A with the generally planar body17 of the cross member 8, for optimal engagement of the subsequent plankonto the wing 16. Preferably the angle A is within a range ofapproximately 10° to approximately 90°; more preferably between 15° and75°; more preferably between 30° and 60°. In the depicted preferredembodiment, the angle A is approximately 45°. As shown, this embodimentof cross member 8 also has a small dip proximate the apex of the body 13and wing 16.

In this embodiment, the body 17 of the cross member 8 also includes ahole 18 configured for receiving the anchoring member 10 duringinstallation of the fastener. Here, the hole 18 is downwardly sleeved.Preferably, the sleeved hole 18 is carefully dimensioned to provide apress fit on the anchoring member 10. For example, the sleeved hole 18may be formed by sequential punch and draw steps to provide an innerdiameter within press fit tolerances of a few thousandths of an inch. Apress fit between the cross member 8 and the anchoring member 10 permitsthe anchoring member 10 to support the cross member 8 substantiallyparallel to the support member 4 after installation of the hiddenfastener 6. This in turn allows quicker and more facile installation ofa subsequent plank 2 onto the winged end 16 of the cross member 8.

Referring to FIG. 3, the nail, ballistic screw, or other anchoringmember 10 may be of a conventional shape. Preferably, the nail includesa T-head 20 sized to fit between adjoining deck boards such that nospacer other than the nail is needed in order to obtain adequatedrainage from the upper surface of the deck. The anchoring member 10also may include a collared portion 21, immediately below the T-head,for properly locating the press fit between the anchoring member 10 andthe cross member 8. In one preferred embodiment, the collared portion 21of the anchoring member 10 is the only portion that press fits to thesleeved hole 18 of the cross member, with the main shank 23 of theanchoring member 10 being sized to pass freely through the sleeved hole18.

Referring now to FIG. 4, when rigidly supported by the anchoring member10, the cross member 8 is well positioned for installation of asubsequent sheathing member or deck plank 2 b onto the winged end 16 ofthe cross member 8. As will be appreciated from the phantom lines inFIG. 4, the subsequent sheathing member 2 b first is engaged with thewinged end 13 b of the cross member 8 at an angle to the joist 4, thenis rotated downward onto the joist to fully engage the winged end 16 ofthe cross member 8 into one of the side grooves 12.

Referring to FIG. 5, an additional embodiment of a cross member 22 alsois suitable for use in forming the hidden fastener 6. Like the previousembodiment, this cross member 22 includes a first end withdownward-curving claws 24, an opposing second end with an upwardlycurved wing 26, and a sleeved hole 28 for receiving an anchoring member10. The cross member 22 also includes at least one downwardly bentspacer legs 30, which extend outward from lateral edges of the crossmember 22. As shown in FIG. 5, this embodiment has two spacer legs 30positioned to extend from opposite lateral edges of the cross member 22.

Referring to FIG. 6, the spacer legs 30 can be employed for at least tworeasons. First, the legs 30 serve to space a subsequent plank (notdepicted) from a plank 2 previously attached to a joist 4 by means ofthe hidden fastener 6. Secondly, the legs 30 serve to brace the crossmember 22 against the side of a plank 2 with which the claws 24 areengaged, so that the cross member 8 extends from the plank substantiallyparallel to the underlying joist, for enhanced ease of installing thesubsequent plank (not depicted). A cross member, 8 or 22, and/or legs 30may cooperate with a positive stopper mechanism within a front end of anautomatic feeding system of an installation tool (discussed below) toaid in alignment of the cross member 22 prior to installation via adriven securing member 10. In other embodiments, the spacer legs may beconfigured to be driven partially into the support member duringinstallation.

Referring to FIG. 7, the hidden fastener 6 can be installed by means ofa power driving tool 32, shown in phantom lines, specially configuredfor installing the hidden fastener 6. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, apneumatic or combustion-powered nail driver may be used withsubstitution of a suitable barrel 34 including a notch 35, a generallyflat first feeding mechanism 36 (here, a magazine), and a second feedingmechanism 38 (a nail magazine). Alternatively, one or both feedingmechanisms and the barrel may be formed integrally with the powerdriving tool. Here, the notch 35 of the barrel 34 permits the crossmember 8 to be held by the driving tool 32 while being fully insertedinto one of the grooves 12 formed on a deck plank 2, as shown in FIG. 7.The notch 35 also permits an upper nose or point 37 of the flat magazine36 to be engaged into the groove 12, so that the gun 32 and magazine 36are held substantially parallel to the joist 4. As noted above, thepower driving tool may include a positive stopper mechanism for aidingalignment of the fixing member and cross member prior to installation.

Referring also to FIG. 8, the notch 35 also exposes a portion of themost forward anchoring member 10 in the second feeding mechanism 38 sothat the anchoring member 10 can be positioned directly adjacent theplank 2 to provide proper spacing between adjacent planks. Stillreferring to FIGS. 7 and 8, in some embodiments the first and secondfeeding mechanisms 36 and 38 are provided integrally with the barrel 34to provide for quick adaptation of a standard nail driver to other uses.In some embodiments the nail driver also includes a push feed mechanism54 (shown in FIG. 9) that is customized for installation of theinventive hidden fasteners 6.

Referring now to FIG. 9, an exemplary power driving tool 32 for use inattaching the disclosed hidden fasteners 6 is shown in schematic outlinewith key components partly sketched. The barrel 34 and the first andsecond feeding mechanisms 36 and 38 are sectioned to show a strip ofcross members 8 and a stick of anchoring members 10. In one preferredembodiment, the stick of anchoring members 10 are collated by a wire 40and are sequentially push-fed into the barrel 34 by a leaf spring 42. Aswill be understood, each actuation of the driver 32 makes room for anext anchoring member 10 to be fed from the second feeding mechanism 38into the barrel 34. The strip of cross members 8 can be collated on atape 44, and can be fed from the first feeding mechanism 36 at least bythe pulling action of removing the driver 32 from an already-installedhidden fastener 6, or by a push feed mechanism. The flat magazine 36includes a lip or brace 46 for supporting the winged end 16 or 26 ofeach cross member 8 or 22 during firing of a corresponding anchoringmember.

In addition to the barrel 34 and the feeding mechanisms 36, 38, thedepicted embodiment of power driving tool 32 also includes a hammer 48,which reciprocates within a chamber 50 by means of a spring 52 on abarrel side of the hammer piston and a propulsion fluid 51 on a chamberside of the hammer piston. The tool also may include a push feedmechanism 54, as discussed above and shown in FIG. 9 by phantom lines.As known, the nail driver is actuated by a trigger 56 and may be poweredat least by compressed air provided through an inlet fitting 58, or bycombustion of butane or other gas provided from a removable flask 60.The feeding mechanisms 36, 38 can be attached to the driver 32 by way oftop and bottom braces, 44 and 46, respectively, or a like means ofattachment, or formed integrally with the body of the tool.

In operation, in preparation for installation and in situ forming of theinventive hidden fastener 6, the tool 32 is used to position the clawedfirst end 14 or 24 of a cross member 8 or 22 into a groove 12 of a deckplank 2 resting on a joist 4. During installation and forming of thehidden fastener 6, the nose or point 37 of the flat first feedingmechanism 36 is engaged into the groove 12 of the plank, and/or one ofthe top or bottom braces 62, 64 may contact the joist 4 and support thetool 32 with the feeding mechanism 36 substantially parallel to thejoist 4, while the lip 46 formed in the flat magazine 36 supports thewinged end 16 or 26 of the cross member 8 or 22 substantially parallelto the joist 4. Actuating the tool 32 via the trigger 56 causes thehammer 48 to drive an anchoring member 10 through the sleeved hole 18 ofthe cross member 8 or 22 and into the joist 4. The collared portion 21of the anchoring member forms a press fit with the sleeved hole 18 or28, thereby rigidly attaching the cross member, anchoring member, joist,and plank. A subsequent plank then can be assembled over the winged end16 or 26 of the cross member 8 or 22, as shown in FIG. 4. Anotherfastener can then be attached to the free end of the subsequent plank,and the process repeated as necessary.

A benefit of the disclosed fastener, method and tool is that they allowvarious types and sizes of side-grooved sheathing members to be securelyyet invisibly attached to underlying support members. Additionally, thesecure and hidden attachment can be accomplished for any type ofside-grooved sheathing member using identical cross members andanchoring members in combination with a power driving tool speciallyconfigured for use with the fasteners, like the disclosed driver. Thus,the disclosed embodiments permit bulk manufacturing and purchasing of asingle hidden fastener model for use with many different models ofside-grooved deck planking.

While a preferred embodiment has been set forth for purposes ofillustration, the foregoing description should not be deemed alimitation of the invention herein. Accordingly, various modifications,adaptations and alternatives may occur to one skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention and scope of the claimedcoverage.

What is claimed is:
 1. A fastener for attaching decking members withside grooves to a support member, comprising: a cross member with a bodyhaving a top and a bottom and opposite lateral edges extending betweenfront and rear ends, the front end having at least one downwardlyprojecting prong and the second end being bent obliquely upward, thebody defining an attachment hole extending from the top to the bottom; apair of legs intermediate the front end and rear end, each leg beingbent downward from an opposite lateral edge; an elongate anchoringmember comprising a head and a shank, wherein each end of the crossmember is configured to engage the groove of an adjacent decking memberand a portion of the anchoring member shank is configured to be driventhrough the cross member hole into the support member with the front endpositioned within a leading decking member groove to form a fastener andrigidly attach the leading decking member to the support member byengagement between the cross member front end with the leading deckingmember groove, the legs being positioned between the adjacent deckingmembers.
 2. The fastener of claim 1, wherein the attachment hole isfurther defined by at least one surface that projects from the body. 3.The fastener of claim 1, wherein the at least one downwardly projectingprong is formed as a bend in a corner of the body at the front end. 4.The fastener of claim 1, wherein the rear end of the body terminates ina rear edge and includes a compound bend defining a lower vertexintermediate the attachment opening and rear edge.
 5. The fastener ofclaim 4, wherein a middle portion of the body is substantially flat anddefines a longitudinal plane and the lower vertex lies below the plane.6. The fastener of claim 5, wherein the rear edge lies above the plane.7. The fastener of claim 1, wherein the at least legs extend outwardfrom the respective lateral edges of the body.
 8. The fastener of claim2, wherein the legs are substantially opposing one another on oppositelateral edges of the body.
 9. The fastener of claim 1, comprising twodownwardly projecting prongs in the front end.
 10. A fastener forattaching decking members with side grooves separating a top nub and abottom nub to a support member, comprising: a cross member with a bodyhaving a top and a bottom and opposite lateral edges extending betweenfront and rear ends, the front end having at least one downwardlyprojecting prong and the second end being bent upward, the body definingan attachment hole extending from the top to the bottom; at least oneleg projecting from the body and having a terminal edge that is belowthe bottom of the body, the at least one leg defining a front abutmentsurface on the side of the leg that faces the direction of the bodyfront end; an elongate anchoring member comprising a head and a shank,wherein each end of the cross member is configured to engage the grooveof an adjacent decking member and a portion of the anchoring membershank is configured to be driven through the cross member hole into thesupport member to rigidly attach a leading decking member to the supportmember by engagement between the cross member front end with the leadingdecking member groove with the front abutment surface of the at leastone leg against the lower nub.
 11. The fastener of claim 10, comprisingtwo legs, each leg extending from an opposite lateral edge of the crossmember body.
 12. The fastener of claim 11, wherein the legs oppose oneanother on opposite edges and are substantially equidistant from thefront end, and the front abutment surface of both legs are against thelower nub.
 13. The fastener of claim 10, wherein the attachment hole isfurther defined by at least one surface that projects from the body. 14.The fastener of claim 10, wherein the rear end of the body terminates ina rear edge, the rear end including a compound bend defining a lowervertex intermediate the attachment opening and rear edge.
 15. Thefastener of claim 14, wherein a middle portion of the body issubstantially flat and defines a longitudinal plane and the lower vertexlies below the plane.
 16. The fastener of claim 15, wherein a middleportion of the body is substantially flat and defines a longitudinalplane and the rear edge lies above the plane.
 17. A method ofconstructing a decking structure by attaching laterally adjacent deckingplanks having side grooves separating an upper nub from a lower nub to asupport member by engagement with hidden fasteners, comprising:providing a cross member having a top and a bottom extending from afront end and a rear end, the rear end including an oblique upward bend,the cross member defining an attachment opening intermediate the frontend and rear end extending from the top to the bottom, and at least oneleg extending in the direction of the bottom; positioning a leadingdecking plank substantially flat against the support member; positioningthe front end of the cross member within the groove of the leadingdecking plank; driving an elongate anchoring member through the openingin the cross member into the support member with the at least one legbraced against the leading decking plank, the anchoring member and crossmember collectively forming a hidden fastener; and placing a trailingdecking plank substantially flat against the support member adjacent theleading decking plank by inserting the trailing decking plank lower nubbetween the cross member and support member with the second end of thecross member within the groove of the trailing plank.
 18. The method ofclaim 17, wherein the cross member includes a leg extending from eachlateral edge of the body.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein both legsare braced against the leading decking plank during the step of drivingan elongate anchoring member.